Bill requiring some to work for TennCare coverage gets final legislative approval

The Republican-led Tennessee Legislature on Thursday passed a controversial bill aimed at imposing work requirements on people receiving Medicaid benefits through the TennCare system, reports the Associated Press. Gov. Bill Haslam has backed the measure.

The Senate voted 23-2 in favor of it (HB1551) Thursday. The House passed it (72-23) last month.

Health care advocates denounced the vote afterward, with one calling it a “politically inspired bill” that wastes taxpayer funds and punishes mothers when they lose their jobs.

“The bill recklessly puts thousands of vulnerable children, seniors and people with disabilities at risk that the state system will cost them their health coverage,” Michele Johnson, executive director of the Tennessee Justice Center continued in her statement. She said lawmakers should concentrate their efforts on expanding the health care program, like other states.

One of the prime sponsors of the legislation was House Speaker Beth Harwell, who is running for governor.

The measure would require able-bodied people without children under the age of 6 to spend 20 hours a week working, volunteering or attending school. Some lawmakers said that’s an easy enough requirement to meet because Tennessee allows adults without a degree or certificate to go to community college or technical school without having to pay tuition.

…The bill ran into trouble earlier in session because of the costs that would come with verifying that people are actually working, volunteering or going to school.

The legislation looks to use about $37 million annually in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program reserve money to enforce the measure.

If signed into law, the bill would authorize TennCare to seek a waiver under President Donald Trump’s administration, which is allowing state Medicaid work requirements. In addition to getting the waiver, the state would have to get permission to use the TANF reserve money.

The Trump administration has approved Medicaid work requirements in Kentucky, Indiana and Arkansas, all Medicaid expansion states through the Affordable Care Act.

Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D- Nashville, filed an amendment to the legislation to try and get TennCare expanded in Tennessee, but that was shot down

4 Responses to Bill requiring some to work for TennCare coverage gets final legislative approval

This will prove to be a totally dysfunctional effort that will cost millions to administer in order to achieve a minuscule benefit among a handful of people while, at the same time, making the lives of those who care for the elderly or sick or disabled children even more burdensome. But who can pass up the opportunity to score a few political points at the expense of low income citizens while, at the same time, creating a bureaucratic monstrosity that will endanger the entire TennCare system. That sort of double whammy can’t be missed!

What we should be getting at, and I imagine this is a motivation of this work requirement, are the thousands upon thousands of people who are “gaming the system.” I have heard it estimated that if you really put your mind to it you can maneuver yourself so that you can get local, state, and federal benefits that would be worth a pre-tax income of about $60,000 while making collecting welfare in all its dizzying forms your career.

Frankly, I don’t care how much it costs, this is the crap that has to end because it undermines the ethos of society. Instead of a society where everyone, with the exception of those few who are truly disabled, goes out and does the best they can we have multitudes who game the system. As a result, they lower the morale of taxpayers who are supporting them and they serve as a bad example for the next generation. Like illegal immigration, the full costs are long-term and indirect but real and more than something amenable to a strict dollars and cents analysis..

Does this include the legislation bunch they AIN’T doing nothing for their pay or benefits? THats what it looks like to me! Also the best thing that could happen to this country is ANOTHER DEPRESSION SO BIG MONEY will UNDERSTAND what taxpayers are raising HELL about. Can we bring HOOVER Back?